The Caving Podcast

In the conclusion of this in-person interview, Dave shares his history of cave photography, and explains some of his techniques. He also talks about caving in Montana, and shares a few harrowing stories of caving back home in Indiana where he reveals several leads he's left unexplored. Order a custom cave suit from our sponsor, Sophireaptress!https://www.sophireaptress.com/NSS Calendar of Eventshttps://caves.org/calendar/Find your local grotto!https://caves.org/committee/i-o/grottos/new_grotto_page-v2.shtml

Dave has found so much cave in Indiana, and inspired a new generation of Indiana cavers that got busy discovering and mapping back in the 80s and 90s. Dave was on the crew that connected Roppel Cave to Mammoth Cave, and has seen his fair share of harrowing adventure underground.Order a custom cave suit from our sponsor, Sophireaptress!https://www.sophireaptress.com/NSS Calendar of Eventshttps://caves.org/calendar/Find your local grotto!https://caves.org/committee/i-o/grottos/new_grotto_page-v2.shtml

Jonathan wasn't a caver until he became curious about a cave on a piece of property he purchased in rural Tennessee. Thanks to his openness to allow exploration of his cave, Helm's Deep quickly became the longest cave in the state, and was a topic of much discussion at the 2024 NSS Convention in Sewanee, TN. In this talk he covers many of the discoveries made in the cave, including its surprising archeological significance.Order a custom cave suit from our sponsor, Sophireaptress!https://www.sophireaptress.com/Custom Cave Survey Pageshttps://www.customcavepages.com/Find your local grotto!https://caves.org/committee/i-o/grottos/new_grotto_page-v2.shtml

The Out of Bounds Grotto is a caving club that was created for the 21st century–a virtual grotto that brings together cavers from across the country for the love of exploration, conservation, and the sport of caving with no geographic constraints. Tally founded the grotto with these things in mind and, as you'll hear, is a tireless volunteer for many of the causes cavers care about. She's also working to improve the caving experience for women who might otherwise have concerns about sexual harassment in what is still a very male-dominated world.Out of Bounds Grottohttps://outofboundsgrotto.org/Tickets to Floyd Collins: The Musical at SKyPAC in Bowling Green, KY 3/8/25https://www.theskypac.com/event/ramsey-theatre-company-presents-floyd-collins-the-musical/Order a custom cave suit from our sponsor, Sophireaptress!https://www.sophireaptress.com/Custom Cave Survey Pageshttps://www.customcavepages.com/Find your local grotto!https://caves.org/committee/i-o/grottos/new_grotto_page-v2.shtml

Canadian super-caver Katie Graham talked about her caving genesis, and her love of the most remote, and tough caving for a variety of objectives from exploration to scientific research. She talks about caving in Canada and Mexico, as well as being a repeat winner of the infamous “Golden Garbage Can” award.Tickets to Floyd Collins: The Musical at SKyPAC in Bowling Green, KY 3/8/25https://www.theskypac.com/event/ramsey-theatre-company-presents-floyd-collins-the-musical/Order a custom cave suit from our sponsor, Sophireaptress!https://www.sophireaptress.com/Custom Cave Survey Pageshttps://www.customcavepages.com/Find your local grotto!https://caves.org/committee/i-o/grottos/new_grotto_page-v2.shtml

A once-in-a-lifetime historical panel with Roger Brucker, author of Trapped! The Story of Floyd Collins, Mammoth Cave Guide Jackie Wheet, and John Benton, co-author of The Floyd Collins Tragedy at Sand Cave along with Bob Thompson and Bill Napper. Plus a short talk at the top with two of the people behind a production of Floyd Collins: The Musical put on by the Ramsey Theatre Company at SKyPAC in Bowling Green on Saturday, March 8th.Tickets to Floyd Collins: The Musical at SKyPAC in Bowling Green, KY 3/8/25https://www.theskypac.com/event/ramsey-theatre-company-presents-floyd-collins-the-musical/Order a custom cave suit from our sponsor, Sophireaptress!https://www.sophireaptress.com/Custom Cave Survey Pageshttps://www.customcavepages.com/Find your local grotto!https://caves.org/committee/i-o/grottos/new_grotto_page-v2.shtml

Former NSS President Bill Tozer passed away last weekend. In this 2018 episode, he shares that was one of the first to descend Ellison's Fantastic Pit, as well as Sótano de las Golondrinas. Plus stories of his early caving days in Indiana.

Dr. Julian “Jerry” Lewis is a cave biologist with a long career consulting on everything from massive infrastructure projects to small-scale bio-inventory for various entities. He also served for many years as the president of the Indiana Karst Conservancy. In part 2 of our discussion, he touches on some harrowing moments in his career, including an incident that threatened the existence of one cave organization, while ending another one. Dr. Lewis's profile on Karstwaters.org:https://karstwaters.org/about-kwi/kwi-officers-and-board-of-directors/dr-julian-jerry-lewis/Order a custom cave suit from our sponsor, Sophireaptress!https://www.sophireaptress.com/Buy tickets for Floyd Collins: The Musical, March 8th at SKYPAC in Bowling Green, KYhttps://www.theskypac.com/event/ramsey-theatre-company-presents-floyd-collins-the-musical/Find your local grotto!https://caves.org/committee/i-o/grottos/new_grotto_page-v2.shtml

Dr. Julian “Jerry” Lewis is a cave biologist with a long career consulting on everything from massive infrastructure projects to small-scale bio-inventory for various entities. He also served for many years as the president of the Indiana Karst Conservancy. In part 1 of our discussion, he outlines the genesis of his career, and touches on various other highlights like building his bioconsulting business, and appearing on the hit TV show “Dirty Jobs”Dr. Lewis's profile on Karstwaters.org:https://karstwaters.org/about-kwi/kwi-officers-and-board-of-directors/dr-julian-jerry-lewis/Order a custom cave suit from our sponsor, Sophireaptress!https://www.sophireaptress.com/Find your local grotto!https://caves.org/committee/i-o/grottos/new_grotto_page-v2.shtml

Mike Ficco has found Virginia's deepest cave, and has explored all over the world, including China, Montenegro, Slovenia, and elsewhere. He shared the highlights of his long caving career, which includes chairing the Cave Conservancy of the Virginias (link below).Order a custom cave suit from our sponsor, Sophireaptress!https://www.sophireaptress.com/Cave Conservancy of the Virginias:https://caveconservancyofvirginia.org/Find your local grotto!https://caves.org/committee/i-o/grottos/new_grotto_page-v2.shtml

Georgia Schneider's caving life has grown quickly since she started caving; taking her to places like New Zealand, France, Mexico, and countless US caves. She talks to Matt about working with the National Parks Service to inventory caves on federal land, and shares the special feeling of returning to places she helped discover.Order a custom cave suit from our sponsor, Sophireaptress!https://www.sophireaptress.com/Fall MVOR: September 19-22https://fb.me/e/5n6OMEmx4Find your local grotto!https://caves.org/committee/i-o/grottos/new_grotto_page-v2.shtml

Bill Torode has volunteered at the NSS library for over 50 years, and has mapped hundreds of caves. We talk about being the first person to peer down what came to be known as Surprise Pit in Fern Cave, as well as several other anecdotes from the long-time TAG legend.Order a custom cave suit from our sponsor, Sophireaptress!https://www.sophireaptress.com/Pre-register for Indiana Cave Capers:https://cigcaves.com/cave-capersFall MVOR: September 19-22https://fb.me/e/5n6OMEmx4Find your local grotto!https://caves.org/committee/i-o/grottos/new_grotto_page-v2.shtml

Pete shares his varied caving life starting in West Virginia's Germany Valley all the way through Grand Canyon exploration, Lechuguilla, Tears of The Turtle (the deepest cave in the US), and shares his experience rewiring the electricity for Carlsbad Caverns National Park. He also shares some big NSS news as a member of the board.Order a custom cave suit from our sponsor, Sophireaptress!https://www.sophireaptress.com/Pre-register for Indiana Cave Capers:https://cigcaves.com/cave-capersFall MVOR: September 19-22https://fb.me/e/5n6OMEmx4Find your local grotto!https://caves.org/committee/i-o/grottos/new_grotto_page-v2.shtml

Colin Magee is a Canadian caver originally from New Zealand who has been on high-profile Mexico expeditions like Cheve where he participated in the National Geographic Explorer episode “The Deepest Cave.” He discusses the importance of proper SRT and rescue training, as well as his initiative to gather data from the world's caving clubs.Colin's website, mentioned in the podcast:https://www.caver.ca/Order a custom cave suit from our sponsor, Sophireaptress!https://www.sophireaptress.com/Cave Week 2024!https://www.nps.gov/subjects/caves/cave-week.htmRegister for the 2024 NSS Convention in Sewanee, TN:https://caves.org/convention/2024-registration/Pre-register for Indiana Cave Capers:https://cigcaves.com/cave-capersFall MVOR: September 19-22https://fb.me/e/5n6OMEmx4Find your local grotto!https://caves.org/committee/i-o/grottos/new_grotto_page-v2.shtml

Katarina Kosič Ficco is a cave and karst field scientist with the Virginia Department of Conservation and Recreation, Division of Natural Heritage focusing on subterranean biodiversity. She shares her genesis in the world of caves and karst, having grown up in the classical Karst in Slovenia where the term originated. She also talks about discovering Petra, an exquisitely preserved Pleistocene feline skeleton found in Virginia less than a decade ago, as well as several expeditions that resulted in finding miles and miles of new cave.Order a custom cave suit from our sponsor, Sophireaptress!https://www.sophireaptress.com/Cave Week 2024https://www.nps.gov/subjects/caves/cave-week.htmRegister for the 2024 NSS Convention in Sewanee, TN:https://caves.org/convention/2024-registration/Find your local grotto:https://caves.org/committee/i-o/grottos/new_grotto_page-v2.shtml

Mike Drake heads up exploration of the Studebaker/Wayne Cave system in Indiana's Garrison Chapel Valley just west of Bloomington. He talks about the genesis and ongoing effort to survey the area's longest cave. Plus, a bonus talk on Cave Week 2024 in June!Order a custom cave suit from our sponsor, Sophireaptress!https://www.sophireaptress.com/Cave Week 2024!https://www.nps.gov/subjects/caves/cave-week.htmPre-register for the 2024 NSS Convention in Sewanee, TN:https://caves.org/convention/2024-registration/Find your local grotto!https://caves.org/committee/i-o/grottos/new_grotto_page-v2.shtml

Dave Brumbaugh has been a cave guide in several show caves, including back home in Pennsylvania. He has also worked at Carlsbad Caverns and indeed still works for the National Park Service in Yosemite National Park. We talked about his extensive caving career, which included helping the FBI locate and dispose of unexploded ordinances in a Carlsbad backcountry cave.Order a custom cave suit from our sponsor, Sophireaptress!https://www.sophireaptress.com/Cave Week 2024!https://www.nps.gov/subjects/caves/cave-week.htmFind your local grotto!https://caves.org/committee/i-o/grottos/new_grotto_page-v2.shtml

Rand Heazlitt is currently leading the continued exploration of Indiana's longest cave, the Binkley Cave system. He shares his perspective as the leader of the group that endured a 2016 flood that threatened the lives of him and his survey group in Binkley Cave. He also talks about current and future exploration of Alabama's Fern Cave, as well as dramatic expeditions in Mexico. Order a custom cave suit from our sponsor, Sophireaptress!https://www.sophireaptress.com/Find your local grotto!https://caves.org/committee/i-o/grottos/new_grotto_page-v2.shtml

Rand Heazlitt is currently leading the continued exploration of Indiana's longest cave, the Binkley Cave system. He shares his caving genesis, key moments in his caving history, and the story of the loss of a dear caving friend in part 1 of a two-part conversation.Donate to the NSS!https://members.caves.org/general/custom.asp?page=donate&_gl=1*5ppa8h*_ga*MTIwMTYxNDk3Mi4xNjg2MDYzMzYy*_ga_F1RQ2X41B0*MTcwMTE5NjcyOC4yLjEuMTcwMTE5NzgyNi4wLjAuMA..Order a custom cave suit from our sponsor, Sophireaptress!https://www.sophireaptress.com/Find your local grotto!https://caves.org/committee/i-o/grottos/new_grotto_page-v2.shtml

Jessica Jernigan is a TAG caver who has been at it for just over a couple of years, but has accomplished a lot in that time. We had a great talk about what caving does to fulfill not only our sense of adventure–indeed defining adventure as we looked at it through the lens of caving, but also how that fulfillment applies to other aspects of life.Donate to the NSS!https://members.caves.org/general/custom.asp?page=donate&_gl=1*5ppa8h*_ga*MTIwMTYxNDk3Mi4xNjg2MDYzMzYy*_ga_F1RQ2X41B0*MTcwMTE5NjcyOC4yLjEuMTcwMTE5NzgyNi4wLjAuMA..Order a custom cave suit from our sponsor, Sophireaptress!https://www.sophireaptress.com/Find your local grotto!https://caves.org/committee/i-o/grottos/new_grotto_page-v2.shtml

Mike Mansur is the author of The Cave Formation Repair Project. He and his team of volunteers have worked hundreds of hours repairing and restoring cave formations in such high-profile caves such as Carlsbad Caverns, Fort Stanton Cave, and Caverns of Sonora, among many others. Buy the book:https://speleobooks.secure-mall.com/item/The-Cave-Formation-Repair-Project-2nd-Edition-4132Order a custom cave suit from our sponsor, Sophireaptress!https://www.sophireaptress.com/Find your local grotto!https://caves.org/committee/i-o/grottos/new_grotto_page-v2.shtml

Tray Heinke appeared on an episode of Naked and Afraid, which was a big part of this talk, but he's been an Indiana caver for many years, exploring Indiana's longest cave, Binkley Cave; including a harrowing trip in December of 2016 that trapped him and his companions for more than 36 hours. He tells the story, and shares his adventurous plans for the near future.Order a custom cave suit from our sponsor, Sophireaptress!https://www.sophireaptress.com/Find your local grotto!https://caves.org/committee/i-o/grottos/new_grotto_page-v2.shtml

Patti Cummings is the Vice President of the Richard Blenz Nature Conservancy, home of Indiana's storied Buckner Cave. She talks about her caving history and life, as well as managing the NSS-owned Buckner property, and specifically the home of former owner Dick Blenz, who passed away in 2018.Order a custom cave suit from our sponsor, Sophireaptress!https://www.sophireaptress.com/Find your local grotto!https://caves.org/committee/i-o/grottos/new_grotto_page-v2.shtml

Zeke McKee is a Tennessee caver who has explored and mapped many caves, including Heart of Gould, and Enigma–both of which we talk about at length, including details of a harrowing rescue in 2020.Order a custom cave suit from our sponsor, Sophireaptress!https://www.sophireaptress.com/Find your local grotto!https://caves.org/committee/i-o/grottos/new_grotto_page-v2.shtml

Host Matt Pelsor visits Cagle's Chasm in Tennessee and chats with Chris Lee, Jennifer Young, Jeff Rose, and trip leader Jim Minie. This episode is part two of a three-part series recorded remotely during SERA Cave Faire in early May, 2023.Order a custom cave suit from our sponsor, Sophireaptress!https://www.sophireaptress.com/Indiana Cave Capers: http://www.cigcaves.com/indiana-cave-capers/all-about-cave-capers/Find your local grotto!https://caves.org/committee/i-o/grottos/new_grotto_page-v2.shtml

Host Matt Pelsor returns to Conley Hole in Tennessee for the first time since 2016 and talks with Justin Huffman about his successful effort to discover 500 new caves in a single year. Also along on this trip are Corey Ellis, and Alea Moore. This episode is part one of a three-part series recorded remotely during SERA Cave Faire in early May, 2023.Order a custom cave suit from our sponsor, Sophireaptress!https://www.sophireaptress.com/Indiana Cave Capers: http://www.cigcaves.com/indiana-cave-capers/all-about-cave-capers/Find your local grotto!https://caves.org/committee/i-o/grottos/new_grotto_page-v2.shtml

Shawn Williams is a Missouri caver with a storied caving history and personal life. Both are on full display in this extended interview.Order a custom cave suit from our sponsor, Sophireaptress!https://www.sophireaptress.com/Register for SERA here! May 4-7https://sera2023.com/Speleofest! http://speleofest.com/Indiana Cave Capers: http://www.cigcaves.com/indiana-cave-capers/all-about-cave-capers/Find your local grotto!https://caves.org/committee/i-o/grottos/new_grotto_page-v2.shtml

Kevin Mulligan helped develop the caving ropes course known as The Gauntlet, which has been seen at many caving events. We talk about how it has evolved since its inception, Kevin's work with The Caving Academy, NCRC, and cave exploration.Order a custom cave suit from our sponsor, Sophireaptress!https://www.sophireaptress.com/Book The Gauntlet by emailing TheGauntletSRT@gmail.comContribute to The Gauntlet's GoFundMe:https://www.gofundme.com/f/the-gauntlet-srt-course-startup-fundPre-register for SERA Cave Faire here! May 4-7https://sera2023.com/Find your local grotto!https://caves.org/committee/i-o/grottos/new_grotto_page-v2.shtml

Kelly Smallwood lives in the heart of TAG, and has been involved in many projects, including surveying for the Jack Daniels Distillery. She shares a lot about her caving life, including surviving a tough cancer diagnosis in 2017.Order a custom cave suit from our sponsor, Sophireaptress!https://www.sophireaptress.com/Check out Kelly's YouTube channel!https://www.youtube.com/@tag_caverPre-register for SERA here! May 4-7https://sera2023.com/Find your local grotto!https://caves.org/committee/i-o/grottos/new_grotto_page-v2.shtml

Joel Despain is a California caver, the new co-editor of the NSS News, and has made caving a big part of his professional life.Order a custom cave suit from our sponsor, Sophireaptress!https://www.sophireaptress.com/Pre-register for SERA here! May 4-7https://sera2023.com/Find your local grotto!https://caves.org/committee/i-o/grottos/new_grotto_page-v2.shtml

Miki Manning is a caver from TAG who is heavily involved with fundraising for the NSS. We talk about her active caving life, as well as specific ways to financially support the efforts of the NSS.Order a custom cave suit from our sponsor, Sophireaptress!https://www.sophireaptress.com/More on the Carter Caves State Resort Park Winter Adventure Weekend:https://www.winteradventureweekend.com/ To nominate directors:apearce@caves.orgnominating@caves.org Donate to the Vertical Bill's Tower fund:https://members.caves.org/donations/donate.asp?id=22409 Find your local grotto!https://caves.org/committee/i-o/grottos/new_grotto_page-v2.shtml

Indiana caver and gifted cave map cartographer Glenn Lemasters died on Tuesday, December 13th, 2022 at the age of 70.

Chad McCain is a caver based in St. Louis, Missouri. He shares a number of great exploration stories, and a few harrowing tales of what can happen when things go wrong.RIP Marion O. Smith AKA: The GOAT1942-2022Order a custom cave suit from our sponsor, Sophireaptress!https://www.sophireaptress.com/More on the Carter Caves State Resort Park Winter Adventure Weekend:https://www.winteradventureweekend.com/ Find your local grotto!https://caves.org/committee/i-o/grottos/new_grotto_page-v2.shtml

Former NSS President Tom Rea passed away on Saturday. He was 88.

Fenn Spencer is a lifelong legacy TAG caver.Order a custom cave suit from our sponsor, Sophireaptress!https://www.sophireaptress.com/More on the Carter Caves State Resort Park Winter Adventure Weekend:https://www.winteradventureweekend.com/ Find your local grotto!https://caves.org/committee/i-o/grottos/new_grotto_page-v2.shtml

Marion Akers is an Indiana-based caver and cave cartographer involved in exploration in TAG, Indiana, and Mexico.Order a custom cave suit from our sponsor, Sophireaptress!https://www.sophireaptress.com/More on the Carter Caves State Resort Park Winter Adventure Weekend:https://www.winteradventureweekend.com/ Find your local grotto!https://caves.org/committee/i-o/grottos/new_grotto_page-v2.shtml

Marion Akers is an Indiana-based caver and cave cartographer involved in exploration in TAG, Indiana, and Mexico.Order a custom cave suit from our sponsor, Sophireaptress!https://www.sophireaptress.com/More on the Carter Caves State Resort Park Winter Adventure Weekend:https://www.winteradventureweekend.com/ Find your local grotto!https://caves.org/committee/i-o/grottos/new_grotto_page-v2.shtml

Mark Dickey is an NCRC instructor and helped create a new comprehensive advanced alpine SRT caving course called Caving Academy, which will hold its first class September 10th through 16th in Budapest.Learn more about Caving Academy!https://cavingacademy.org/ Pre-register for Indiana Cave Capers HERE:http://www.cigcaves.com/indiana-cave-capers/all-about-cave-capers/cave-caper-registration/ Watch NatGeo Explorer: The Deepest Cave:https://www.nationalgeographic.com/tv/movies-and-specials/explorer-the-deepest-cave Find your local grotto!https://caves.org/committee/i-o/grottos/new_grotto_page-v2.shtml

Aidan Campbell is a land manager with the SCCi, and talks about that role and the passion he has for cave conservation. He talks about his caving genesis, and the various that have led him to and through his caving life.Join SCCi or find more info HERE: https://www.saveyourcaves.org/ Pre-register for Indiana Cave Capers HERE:http://www.cigcaves.com/indiana-cave-capers/all-about-cave-capers/cave-caper-registration/ Find your local grotto!https://caves.org/committee/i-o/grottos/new_grotto_page-v2.shtml

Gretchen Baker is the current national coordinator for the National Cave Rescue Commission, but that barely scratches the surface of her credibility. We talk about her past and present work for the National Park Service, and her exploration efforts across the globe.The Caving Podcast is sponsored by https://elspeleo.com/Save $20 any full-priced order over $300 with promo code PODCAST Buy Gretchen's book at https://www.amazon.com/Conventional-Murder-C-Cox-ebook/dp/B01FLHODPO More on the 2022 NSS Convention in Rapid City, SD here: https://nss2022.caves.org/ Pre-register for Indiana Cave Capers HERE:http://www.cigcaves.com/indiana-cave-capers/all-about-cave-capers/cave-caper-registration/ Find your local grotto!https://caves.org/committee/i-o/grottos/new_grotto_page-v2.shtml

"Ancient Caves" was released for IMAX 3D and IMAX Dome theaters just days into the onset of the Covid-19 pandemic, but thankfully the cycle for IMAX type educational films is years long, and this film could still be coming to a theater near you!I was fortunate to talk to director Jonathan Bird about making the film, and cave diver Todd Kelly who talked about not only working on this film, but also his decades-long cave diving career.The Caving Podcast is sponsored by https://elspeleo.com/Save $20 any full-priced order over $300 with promo code PODCASTLearn more about "Ancient Caves" at the film's website:https://macgillivrayfreeman.com/project/ancient-caves/  Pre-register for Indiana Cave Capers HERE:http://www.cigcaves.com/indiana-cave-capers/all-about-cave-capers/cave-caper-registration/ Find your local grotto!https://caves.org/committee/i-o/grottos/new_grotto_page-v2.shtml

Thomas Hawkins has caved all over the world, but got started in one of the best places on Earth–West Virginia's Germany Valley. He talks about caving via botany in Central America, salt caves in Chile, caving with some of my Hoosier friends in Mexico, and being part of survey efforts in a classic TAG cave.The Caving Podcast is sponsored by https://elspeleo.com/Save $20 any full-priced order over $300 with promo code PODCAST Apply for an NSS student scholarship to attend the 2022 national convention in South Dakota:https://nss2022.caves.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/03/NSS_Scholarship_Application.pdf SERA Cave Carnival is April 21-24!http://www.sera2022.com/ Pre-register for Indiana Cave Capers HERE:http://www.cigcaves.com/indiana-cave-capers/all-about-cave-capers/cave-caper-registration/ Find your local grotto!https://caves.org/committee/i-o/grottos/new_grotto_page-v2.shtml

Holly McClintock has chaired the Louisville Grotto since 2012. She is an active member of the Cave Research Foundation, Central Kentucky Karst Coalition, SCCi, KSS, and of course the NSS. She assists with management of the grotto's own 126 acre Lone Star Preserve. She manages the SCCi Daleo Preserve, home of the Daleo entrance to Roppel Cave, where she spends most of her time underground. We talked extensively about her exploration efforts and discoveries made in Roppel, and what it's been like to lead a grotto for a decade.

Reilly Blackwell has done an awful lot of caving since she first got serious about it in 2016. Since then she has worked for the NSS, been on several expeditions to Mexico, and served in various roles on several other projects throughout the country.The Caving Podcast is sponsored by https://elspeleo.com/Save $20 any full-priced order over $300 with promo code PODCAST Find your local grotto!https://caves.org/committee/i-o/grottos/new_grotto_page-v2.shtml

Matt Pelsor has produced and hosted the Caving Podcast since July of 2016.He is a radio personality and voiceover actor from Indianapolis.In this episode, he and renowned caver Hazel Barton share a conversation about caving.Follow him on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/mattpelsorradio/The Caving Podcast is sponsored by https://elspeleo.com/Save $20 any full-priced order over $300 with promo code PODCAST Find your local grotto!https://caves.org/committee/i-o/grottos/new_grotto_page-v2.shtml

Kirsten Alvey-Mudd is the executive director of the Missouri Bat Censushttps://www.facebook.com/MissouriBatCensus/The Caving Podcast is sponsored by https://elspeleo.com/Save $20 any full-priced order over $300 with promo code PODCAST Find your local grotto!https://caves.org/committee/i-o/grottos/new_grotto_page-v2.shtml

Devra Heyer is the Education Division Chief of the National Speleological Society.The Caving Podcast is sponsored by https://elspeleo.com/Save $20 any full-priced order over $300 with promo code PODCAST Find your local grotto!https://caves.org/committee/i-o/grottos/new_grotto_page-v2.shtml

Matthew Lachniet is a paleoclimatologist who studies cave formations to get a record of past climate history.The Caving Podcast is sponsored by https://elspeleo.com/Save $20 any full-priced order over $300 with promo code PODCAST Find your local grotto!https://caves.org/committee/i-o/grottos/new_grotto_page-v2.shtml

This month is a series of impromptu interviews conducted at Indiana Cave Capers, which is an annual event put on by the Central Indiana Grotto.The Caving Podcast is sponsored by https://elspeleo.com/Save $20 any full-priced order over $300 with promo code PODCAST Find your local grotto!https://caves.org/committee/i-o/grottos/new_grotto_page-v2.shtml

Jim “Crash” Kennedy has been passionate about caves, caving, and bats for most of his life. He reveals the unfortunate incident that earned him his nickname, discusses gating caves, working with Bat Conservation International, chairing the National Cave and Karst Management Symposium, and the 2025 convention in a delightful hour of conversation.Find more on the National Cave and Karst Management Symposium at https://symposium2021.nckms.org/The Caving Podcast is sponsored by https://elspeleo.com/Save $20 any full-priced order over $300 with promo code PODCAST Find your local grotto!https://caves.org/committee/i-o/grottos/new_grotto_page-v2.shtml

Ceth Parker is a California-based caver who has done impressive research on iron caves in Brazil, which makes this podcast host re-think how most caves are formed. He has also designed experiments intended for the International Space Station and has tested them with parabolic flights aboard the so-called ‘Vomit Comet.” All of which are discussed in this episode.Learn about the NSS Western Region's Speleo-Ed event here: http://wr2021.nsswest.org/Or skip straight to registration here: https://eventsnsswestorg.regfox.com/speleo-ed-2021The Caving Podcast is sponsored by https://elspeleo.com/Save $20 any full-priced order over $300 with promo code PODCAST Find your local grotto!https://caves.org/committee/i-o/grottos/new_grotto_page-v2.shtml